Atopic dermatitis is a common disease which affects about one million people in Finland at some stage of their life. In atopic dermatitis we see a superficial inflammation of the skin and a defect in skin barrier function. The filaggrin protein plays a central role in the skin barrier function and studies indicate that about 30% of patients with atopic dermatitis have a mutation in the filaggrin gene. The aim of the study is to investigate whether a mutation in the filaggrin gene affects the clinical treatment outcome in patients with atopic dermatitis. If a mutation predisposes to a worse response to treatment, this could be examined and those patients with the mutation could be given extra treatment support for their atopic dermatitis. The prevalence of filaggrin mutation in the Finnish non-atopic population is studied in the control group.

Patients with atopic dermatitis who are followed-up at the Skin and Allergy Hospital in Helsinki for at least one year can be included in the study.

The control population consists of non-atopic persons without any other skin disease (samples for the control population are applied for from a sample collection of the National institute for health and welfare).

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria (patients with atopic dermatitis):

Age at least 18 years

Clinical diagnosis of atopic dermatitis

Need for follow-up at the Skin and Allergy Hospital

Patient gives signed informed consent to participate in this study

Patients parents and grandparents are of Finnish origin

Inclusion Criteria (Controls):

No history of atopy or skin disease

Age at least 18 years

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01689805